Child Welfare Policy and Practice Group

CWG in the news

Indiana - WTTB CBS4 News

The Child Welfare Policy and Practice Group (CWG) was asked by Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb to examine the performance of the agency and compare it to accepted national standards, identify strengths and challenges, and produce recommendations for areas that need improvement.

Indiana - Jeffersonville News and Tribune

The CWG report listed 20 recommendations for the administration of Gov. Eric Holcomb, who announced Monday that he would dip into the state's surplus budget of $25 million to boost salaries for often-overworked DCS case managers and employees.

South Carolina - FoxCarolina.com

South Carolina’s Department of Social Services agreed to reduce DSS caseloads, reduce the number of children put in institutions, and improve healthcare for children in the foster system in a lawsuit settlement reached Friday in federal court.

South Carolina - Childrensrights.org

On October 4, 2016, U.S. District Judge Richard M. Gergel granted final approval of a landmark settlement that requires dramatic changes for South Carolina’s foster care system — which for years has been troubled by a shortage of foster homes, excessive caseworker caseloads, and a failure to provide basic health care to kids.

Arkansas - Talkbusiness.net

The state has reduced the number of children in foster care from 5,196 in late 2016 to 4,471 and reduced the caseload for foster care workers from 28 to 20, according to a new report released Wednesday (Oct. 24) by the Arkansas Department of Human Services.

The report, “Foundation for the Future,” says the 4,471 children currently in foster care is a 14% decline from two years ago. In 2016, the number was projected to grow to 5,800 by August 2017.

Arkansas - Arkansas Times

Gov. Asa Hutchinson said last week that he will work to address shortcomings in the state's child welfare system — including committing $8 million in state dollars to hire more caseworkers to lower their workload — that were identified by a consultant who studied the Division of Children and Family Services of the state Department of Human Services.

Iowa - The Gazette

As the state examines the tragic deaths of two adopted teenagers, we want to assure Iowans that we’re committed to finding meaningful areas to address within the child welfare system, and within our community safety nets.

We’re doing this by engaging the Child Welfare Policy and Practice Group (CWG) to conduct a broad review of the state system. And, we’re also doing this in partnership with legislators who are examining DHS resources and the state’s policies and practices meant to protect kids.